City of Basketball Love

Josh Verlin (@jmverlin)
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When Lonnie Walker IV led Reading to its first boys basketball state championship it felt like the culmination of one of the best careers in Reading hoops history.

As it turned out, it was only the beginning for Rick Perez’s program.

The Red Knights are now back in the PIAA 6A state championship game for the third time in seven years, winning it all in 2017 and 2021, the 2020 group in the state quarterfinals when COVID cut the tournament short. Under Perez, they’ve taken an already-proud tradition and blown it skyward, making their brand one of the most recognizable in the entire region, teams knowing exactly what they’re in for whenever they play Reading, which is backed by the best fan support in the state.

“We’ve been trending upwards, every senior that’s come through, every class that has come through has left the program in a better space,” Perez told CoBL by phone Wednesday evening. “Lonnie and them made it to the mountaintop and made it really clear, and these young men have followed them since then.”

Reading’s next opportunity to bring another trophy back to the Geigle Center will come Saturday night at 8 PM, when Catholic League champs Roman Catholic travel out to Hershey for the final game of the PIAA’s three-day championship weekend, the Class 6A boys’ title game. 

While Perez is going for his third state title in his 12th season, Roman’s Chris McNesby will be going for his fourth, at the helm of a program that’s turned out quite a few NBA-level talents of its own, including Cleveland Cavaliers wing Lamar Stevens, the Cahillites one of the name brands of the City of Brotherly Love’s hoops scene.

"Coach McNesby’s an outstanding coach,” Perez said. “We know the tradition of Roman Catholic; we don’t know if you can have two better schools for tradition meeting in the final here.” 

Perez said that Walker IV, now a part-time starter and key part of the Los Angeles Lakers’ rotation, is “constantly reaching out to the guys, providing mentorship, he’s still within the fabric, through and through," Perez said.

This year’s Red Knights are led by Rider commit Ruben Rodriguez, a 6-2 guard who became the first Reading boys’ hooper to score 2,000 points, hitting the mark during the semifinal win over District 1 runner-up Spring-Ford. It’s a number that Walker IV fell short of during his outstanding prep career, and even though Walker IV’s in his fifth season in the NBA, he knows he’s been bested.

“[There are] people who want to have their debates, who’s the king of the castle, and this and that,” Perez said. “Lonnie and I have solidified that Ruben Rodriguez is the King of Reading High School. That was our last discussion.”

Rodriguez might be the most well-known name on the 2022-23 Red Knights, but he’s far from the only reason they’re 31-1 heading into the state championship game, their only loss coming to D.C. powerhouse Gonzaga HS back in December. Fellow seniors Aris Rodriguez (6-3) and Myles Grey (5-10) are both terrific two-way players, leading a Reading program that’s become known for playing with as much intensity, passion, and effort as they can muster.

Junior forward Malik Osumanu (6-6), junior wing Yadiel Cruz (6-2), junior guard Nick Chapman (5-1) and 6-2 senior wing Amier Burdine — a first team all-state football section going to Sacred Heart — round out the rotation. The Knights won the District 3 title over Cumberland Valley and then took out Haverford High (74-43), Upper Darby (83-58), New Castle (72-48) and Spring-Ford (55-32) to get back to Hershey, the final scores indicative of just how dominant they’ve been.

“They’ve got a winning tradition and they play real hard, they’ve got a good coach, too,” Roman forward Anthony Finkley said. “[We have to] match their intensity, play as hard as them.”

The Cahillites (27-3) earned their way to Hershey by beating Archbishop Wood (66-56) in the semifinals, after knocking off Central Bucks East (61-37), Chambersburg (72-45) and Coatesville (78-64) in the first three rounds. 

They’re headed back to Hershey to defend a title they won last year behind 31 points from Daniel Skillings, now at Cincinnati, as McNesby goes for his fourth state title between two stints at the school. 

Roman won it all in 2015 and 2016 with McNesby at the helm, his team led by future Penn State standouts Lamar Stevens and Tony Carr, a group that also won a pair of Catholic League titles. After spending a few seasons away from the sidelines, McNesby returned last season to a team that featured Skillings and Khalil Farmer (Hofstra), plus junior guard Xzayvier Brown, sophomore guard Toby Ojukwu and freshman forward Shareef Jackson.

Ojukwu moved to Georgia this past offseason, leaving Brown in charge of a mostly new-look group from the year before. Finkley, who like Brown is committed to play at Saint Joseph’s in the fall, was ineligible for last year’s postseason due to PIAA transfer regulations; the 6-7 skilled wing forward had 12 points, eight rebounds and four assists in the semifinal win over Archbishop Wood.

Brown, a 6-3 point guard, has been playing the best basketball of his career, with 29 points against Wood; he scored 20, including the game-tying 3-pointer at the end of regulation, in the Catholic League championship win over Neumann-Goretti.

“Xzayvier Brown, I mean he’s outstanding, I’ve been watching him forever, I feel like he’s been the point guard of Roman Catholic for the last 10 years,” Perez said. “He’s got that much wisdom, that much poise, the basketball pedigree that he comes from. 

“Anthony Finkley just continues to grow, he burst on the scene two years ago and just continues to get better. They’re extremely smart, these young men have been exposed to so many levels of basketball for so long.”

Anthony Finkley (above) is a 6-7 forward with great ball skills, who could be a mismatch for a smaller Reading squad. (Photo: Mark Jordan/CoBL)

Jackson, now a 6-7 sophomore and the son of former NBA big man Marc Jackson, is a physical inside presence, something that will come in handy against a Reading squad that only has Osumanu as a true post player. Junior guard Robert Cottrell (5-10), who had 10 of his 15 points against Wood from the foul line, and sophomore wing Will Felder (6-3) round out the starting lineup. 

Roman, which is short a pair of senior wings who transferred in last offseason, has a trio of inexperienced underclassmen it can go to in a pinch: sophomore guard Sebastian Edwards, freshman wing Sammy Jackson and freshman guard Bryce Hillman, though McNesby will lean heavily on his starting five. Managing the energy level of a GIANT Center that’s sure to be a vast majority Reading fans, ready to capitalize on every turnover, every dunk, every block with a massive roar, will be the top priority for Roman, and that’s a tough place to put a freshman or sophomore without much varsity experience.

“They’re going to have a big crowd. It’s going to be fun,” McNesby said. “Our guys are going to be up for it [...] our guys love to play in front of good crowds, and I know the momentum swings will be against us most likely, but I think our guys will like it, they’ll get juiced.”